How to increase employee engagement with Microsoft Yammer

Over the past two years, it has become more apparent than ever that in order for a business to thrive, communication and connection are key. With the continued rise of hybrid working, businesses need to consider how they can ensure all employees are engaged with the wider business, regardless of where they are working. If businesses are able to engage their employees, it leads to increased profitability and productivity, whilst also fostering a positive company culture.

To increase employee engagement, employees must be able to easily engage with other employees and the wider business. There is no better way to facilitate these connections than through the use of Microsoft Yammer. Yammer is a social-networking platform designed for communication, collaboration and connectivity within an organisation. In this article we will discuss how businesses can increase employee engagement through the implementation of Microsoft Yammer.

Keep All Employees Informed

Yammer provides a convenient space for leaders to share information and announcements to the rest of the company. It also allows employees to ask questions or discuss the announcements under each post. Although these announcements could be delivered via email, Yammer allows communication with all employees, giving leaders the opportunity to join in these discussions and increase connectivity across the business. This increase in connection and communication will lead to stronger employee engagement as well as a more informed workplace.

Share Knowledge Across Departments

Regardless of the size of an organisation, it is common for departments to feel siloed and separated from other departments. This not only decreases communication and engagement, but it can also lead to decreased revenue and significant loss of time attributed to searching for information. The advent of remote and hybrid working has only exacerbated this issue, as employees often must rely on asynchronous communication whilst not working in an office environment.

Microsoft Yammer solves this issue as it provides a platform for employees to quickly and easily ask questions to the wider company. Any employee can post a question in a Yammer group for other employees to answer. The group admin is also able to mark an answer as the ‘best answer’ so it can easily be found by other members of the group. Department leaders are also able to post regular updates to ensure the wider business has visibility on what they are working on. This breaks down the walls of an organisation silo and enables direct lines of communication between employees, regardless of whether they are working within an office environment or at home.

Drive Innovation Through Communication

In order for a business to have long-term, sustainable growth, they must continue to innovate. These innovations rarely emerge from an employee working in seldom, but rather through open communication and working together. Businesses can create an ‘Ideas’ group within Yammer that employees can post suggestions for how the business can reach and exceed their goals. As it is a public group, other employees and senior leaders can give their opinions and develop these ideas before implementing them. This creates a culture of innovation and empowers employees whilst showing them that their ideas matter and they can make a tangible change within a business.

Foster a Culture of Recognition and Praise

In all businesses, there are employees that are working hard to grow the business, or deliver exceptional experiences for their customers. This can often go unnoticed, especially if employees are working remotely. With Yammer, employees are able to publicly praise other employees for their good work. This ensures that employees receive the recognition they deserve, not only from their immediate team, but the company as a whole. Fostering a culture of recognition and praise significantly increases employee engagement as it shows that employees are valued and appreciated within a company.

Looking to Implement Microsoft Yammer in your Business?

All businesses, regardless of size or industry, will benefit from increasing their employee engagement. Some of these benefits include increased motivation, an improved work culture, increased employee retention, and increased revenue. If you are looking to leverage these benefits, now is the time to consider implementing Microsoft Yammer within your workplace. To find out more about how your business could benefit from Yammer, contact us today.